Survey: Having a Male Boss vs Female Boss - The Difference

August 2014 | Servcorp

In August 2014, Servcorp conducted a survey among 200 men and 200 women, within the ages 23 to 49, who have worked for both male and female bosses. The purpose of the survey was to determine whether working for either a male or female boss affect the way people work and also to understand people's perceptions on how male and female bosses manage their employees – and whether there is a difference.

Here are the results:

Male Boss vs Female Boss in specific situations

What Do You Like About Male Bosses? - “They are logical.”

According to our survey, approximately 80 percent of respondents, regardless of age or gender, answered that male bosses “think logically.” One male respondent commented, “Most female bosses have mood swings; they have their good days and bad days.”

Overall, it seems like many people think that male bosses are “logical” and their instructions are clear. On the other hand, many feel that many female bosses tend to be “emotional” – which is why they would rather be scolded by a “logical” male boss.

What Don't You Like About Male Bosses? - “They want to take us out for drinks after work.”

More than 80% of respondents answered that “male bosses” have a tendency to want to “go out for drinks after work.” Apparently, an overwhelming amount of male bosses like to socialize with their subordinates after work. While it's true that “nommunication” (Japanese term for “communication via drinking”) with managers, seniors, and colleagues often prove to be fruitful for business, recent trends show that younger generations shy away from drinking parties. It is likely that they find frequent invitations from their bosses bothersome.

What Do You Like About Female Bosses? - “They are considerate.”

More than 60% of respondents answered that “female bosses are more considerate.” Over 70% of female respondents provided this answer, which is 10% more than that of male respondents. As members of the same sex, they are likely to notice even the subtlest attention and care provided by their female bosses.

What Don't You Like About Female Bosses? - “Their instructions tend to be influenced by their mood.”

Approximately 60% of male respondents and 80% of female respondents answered that it is “female bosses” whose “instructions tend to be influenced by their mood.” Female respondents, as members of the same sex, responded higher than their male counterparts.

Male Boss vs Female Boss – Who Do You Prefer?

Regardless of age or gender, approximately 70% of all respondents answered that they “prefer male bosses.” Nearly 80% of respondents in their 40's preferred male bosses – the survey showed that the higher the age group, the higher this tendency is, especially among female respondents.

Does the Gender of Your Boss Affect the Way You Work? -> “No” – 63.8%

Nearly 80% of all respondents answered “No” or “Not sure” to this question. Does this mean that “the gender of the boss does not have a huge impact on work or productivity?” Probably.

Looking further, more male respondents answered that “it affects their work” than female respondents; 26.9% of men in their 20's and 29.9% of men in their 30's responded this way. This is perhaps because younger generations have a harder time grasping their work habits and have less experience maintaining working relationships.

While you cannot generalize according to gender, many people do feel that there are differences between male bosses and female bosses from their experience. How to accept and deal with these differences is up to you. Do these answers apply to your boss?